About the Book

In Grace under Pressure, photographer Chuck Lysen does what Edgar Degas did with ballet and what George Bellows did with boxing. He brings us into the player’s realm through his unique use of perspective, along with a masterful use of light that heightens and enhances the drama on court. He grabs a single moment of action and stops time.
Lysen’s photographs beautifully capture the complete ballet of power, strength and agility which is the NBA. Grace under Pressure provides a painterly study of the raw sweat and blood and the beauty of finely honed instinct intrinsic to the sport—viewed through abstract, minimalist compositions as times.
Lysen’s photos take you immediately past the sidelines and onto the court for an up close and intimate view into the amazing athleticism and emotional drama of professional basketball. Grace under Pressure is an athlete’s artistic ode to the passion and power possessed by the greatest players of the NBA – from a perspective of beauty and grace befitting their athletic prowess and strength.

About the Author

Chuck Lysen was born on Chicago’s south side in 1968. While in traditional high school he also attended, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago where he was introduced to photography, and the allure of the darkroom. Upon graduating high school he accepted a scholarship to play basketball at Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minnesota where he majored in business management and fine art. Following college, Chuck moved to the Northwest in 1989 where he began shooting professionally for The Sporting News and Major League Baseball while moonlighting in various art galleries throughout the Seattle area. After getting married and starting a family, he switched gears for a career in the Health, and Fitness industry. Currently he is back shooting Seattle’s dynamic glass art community, and plans to hit the road again to photograph the NASCAR circuit. When not traveling, he lives and works in Seattle with his wife, and two young sons.